GTX 480 Recommendations

[blade061188]

Alright, Let me start off by saying the GTX 480 is a great performer at a great price point. It would suit the needs of most 1080p gamers at a very attractive price.

However, with the frequency of recommendations for this specific card from our friend recon-uk. I think it is important to point out a few things.

recon regularly (and rather aggressively) denies that the GTX 480 is loud or hot. While he does admit that he uses an aftermarket cooler, it isn't always one of the first things he mentions. He'll post his benchmarks to show the performance and temperatures, only later revealing that there is an aftermarket cooler involved.

recon goes into more detail about his card here.

Many users may want to put an aftermarket cooler on their card. The a custom cooler on a 480 would address the two biggest concerns with that particular GPU (heat and noise) and make it a better choice than the 570. However, most of the people who would do this, would already know what they want and not come to a forum asking for advice.

While the 480 may not be noticeably louder than other reference designs, it is still loud, as are most single-fan rear exhaust systems. It IS hot without aftermarket cooling however.

Toms Hardware
AnandTech
Guru3d
TechSpot
TechPowerup

This can put a serious damper on potential buyers going on a hope to overclock to beat out the competitors it gets pitted against like the 7850, 7870, or 570 (sometimes 670 as well). All of these cards run cooler and will overclock very well even without custom cooling. That said, at stock clocks, it beats all of its competitors in its price range, but people shouldn't buy with dreams of sky high overclocks without being aware of the potential (likely) thermal limitations of the stock cooler.

I wouldn't usually post a thread like this, but with how often recon (often aggressively) recommends the GTX 480 to users here, I thought it was important to throw all the facts together.

recon, since I'm sure you'll visit,
The 480 at $220 (or $210 as it was for a while) is an exceptional value. I am not invalidating your recommendations, but I do see you in most of the threads asking for GPU advice dropping the 480 recommendation, without enough context. It is still a good recommendation, but it is significantly less attractive when you add the price of a custom cooler along with the fact that you will void your warranty by removing the factory cooler. I'm not asking you to stop recommending the card, I just ask that you include the proper context, and please be less hostile with the other forum members who offer different advice than yours.

Other commenters, please don't harass recon for his recommendations, that isn't my intent for this thread. There's nothing wrong with recommending a product you love.

Sorry for the long read, but I've said what I came to say.
Happy teching!

Blade

Edit: Had written "should buy with dreams.." meant "shouldn't buy with dreams..." Whoopsie.

 

[jpardo2]

Well put together. I agree that even though this card is not a baby anymore, it can still hang with some of the best of them. One of the benefits of this card (I used to own one) is that they do have screw holes on the right side of the card (if you're looking at it in your case) to mount I believe up to a 120mm fan, which helped out significantly with keeping it cool. Cool to that card is 70-85 lmao, which is not the industry standard these days. Still a great performer though. Good post.

 

[blade061188]

Thanks for stopping by recon, and for the pics of your setup.

Like I said in the original post the 480 with appropriate cooling is great. I just don't want users to go pick one up to pop into their cluttered case with the stock cooler and be frustrated by the heat, and overclocking limits that heat imposes.

 

[bigcyco1]

I agree with the above however there are many members here who (rather aggressively) Do the same thing with 7850 i think everybody needs to get their egos in check and not fight so much in GPU threads it's not helping the person who is looking for advice and help and probably makes them very uncomfortable and regret ever asking for help and that's not right so it needs to be put to a stop anyways that's my two cents.

 

[blade061188]

This is when i become your worst nightmare, and i will make you look very small, because let's face it, people resort to the comments above as a way to cover for their idiocy, and there are a couple of names who i will not mention, but they know who they are.

These are the types of comments that prompted me to start this thread.

These people may not have used the card, and may be bashing after all, but as providers of advice, I think we should shrug comments like this off without firing back.

You can (and should) prove them wrong, but calling them idiots or belittling them is as bad as what they are doing. You can acknowledge that if not managed properly, the 480 does run hot, but there are many ways to fix that, and get great performance.

Just because someone is belittling you, doesn't mean you should retaliate. Like bigcyco said, we want people to feel comfortable coming and asking for advice. Getting caught in a battle doesn't make people feel that way.

 

[blade061188]

Yes, I see from the thread that ilysaml not willing to admit a mistake. I don't condone his responses to your post, but even OP in that thread said:

Yes, you're right ... but I'm here to find a solution for my dilemma ... not to point at other's mistakes while they are trying to help.

This is what most people who come for advice feel. They come for solutions, not to watch two people who know what they're talking about (or sometimes just think they do) battle it out.

We want to make the forums a friendly place, and retaliating in a hostile manner, whether or not it is justified, is not the way to do this.

 

[bigcyco1]

Also,. i see recon-uk get aggressive only after he is provoked not saying that justify him acting that way clearly it doesn't but it's not right to attack somebody who recommends the GTX480 either and take all kinds of cheap shots at the card if members are going to do that and it's o.k. then there should be no reason why recon-uk can't do the same.Nobody is special here imo and everybody needs to treat each other with a certain amount of respect.

 

[blade061188]

You gave the right advice, that isn't the same as doing the right thing.

Come on then Ilysaml, lets play in your toy sandbox, tell me how a tesla is suited to his needs.

You could have just as easily said something asking him to provide some evidence for his claim without insinuating that he is a child.

What you said was hostile, truth is not hostile. You should point out when someone is giving wrong advice, but not in a way that attacks them personally.

There are threads here where we can debate with the other knowledgeable people about the pros and cons of different tech, and even get heated about it. But when we're in the threads where users come to ask advice, that's the time to stay cool, even if other commenters aren't.

 

[blade061188]

Also,. i see recon-uk get aggressive only after he is provoked not saying that justify him acting that way clearly it doesn't but it's not right to attack somebody who recommends the GTX480 either and take all kinds of cheap shots at the card if members are going to do that and it's o.k. then there should be no reason why recon-uk can't do the same.Nobody is special here imo and everybody needs to treat each other with a certain amount of respect.

I'm arguing that it isn't ok. They shouldn't be attacking him in the first place.

You're exactly right! Nobody here is special, and everyone needs to treat each other with respect. I'm just taking it a step further. We should treat the other members with respect even if we don't receive respect in return.

 

[loops]

I follow almost all gtx 480 topics as the card is very interesting, kinda of a gem in the rough.

There is a knee-jerk reaction to it by some members and I don't think the card has a fair chance to be valued.

When I was building my rig, had I had the information (good or bad) I would have went with a 480 vs a gtx 560 sli set up.

In a public forum some vetting (process of examination and evaluation) can be a good thing as long as the OP is considered. It so happens that recon can take on the task of vetting with a higher degree of conflict than others. I have found it helpful on the whole.

 

[Mousemonkey]

Closed due to errant fanboyism, the next time anyone harps on about an ATI/AMD card the thread may well be closed and this thread referenced as a reason why.